Mazda has announced that it will produce a hybrid version of the Tribute SUV.

The Mazda Tribute shares a chassis and engine platform with the Ford Escape.

"Through our partnership with Ford, we are now proceeding with the development of a hybrid version of the Tribute," Mazda's president, Hisakazu Imaki, said at the Tokyo Motor Show.

The new model is expected in 2007 as a 2008 model.

Mazda is Japan's fourth largest carmaker.

Early on, there was some doubt if hybrids would catch on. Now manufacturers are playing "catch up" to bring out hybrid models. A recent study by research firm Automotive Technology Research Group predicted there would be fifty hybrid models in North America by 2010.

You can see more details of the design on the Escape Hybrid page.



local Mazda dealers